Food for thought
by melinda08
Summary: pre-Daphne returns. As Daphne gets to know Gloria, her therapist, she begins to see that loving Niles was the easy part; loving herself was a different story.
1. Chapter 1

On the way to the spa, Daphne stared out the window, not saying a word to Niles. She knew he was worried, and would be glad to help her in any way he could. But after what had just happened, which was possibly the most mortifying moment of her life, she knew that his love couldn't be enough.

Three Cranes to lift her, Mr. Crane had said.

They had all laughed. Even Niles had a smile on his face, and he couldn't see how deeply hurt she'd been at that very moment.

Three cranes.

How did her life get to this point?

On the outside, she knew she had every reason to be happy. Niles loved her, his family loved her like she was one of them, she had caring and fun friends.

Yet she'd never been more miserable in her life.

0000

After they had said their goodbyes, Daphne looked around at the spa, wondering if she'd made some mistake. It felt strange for her to even entertain the thought of being away from the Cranes for even overnight, let alone weeks-or however long this journey might be.

"You must be Daphne. I'm Gloria, I will be your therapist. It is so nice to meet you," Gloria smiled and shook Daphne's hand.

"I think...I think I'm in the wrong place. I thought I was doing the right thing..."

"It's okay, Daphne. You're taking a very big step in treating a very big problem. Usually one's weight is not a true reflection of what is going on the outside- usually it is a reflection of what's going on inside of us."

Daphne looked at her, puzzled. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't understand..."

Gloria put her hand on Daphne's arm. "I know this can seem overwhelming, especially in the beginning. I will show you to your room, and if you feel comfortable, you can come to my office and we can begin to get to know each other."

The way that Gloria spoke to her moved Daphne to tears. There were no judgments, no expectations, no broken promises- just someone being nice to her. And as they walked to Daphne's room, for the first time in months, Daphne's thoughts were not of Niles or the Cranes or how she could help everyone around her; instead she found herself looking for ways for others to help her.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

As Daphne looked around Gloria's office (which seemed more like a family room than an office; there were pictures, positive quotes, and flowers everywhere) she wondered what she was doing. She knew _why _she was there; it was _how _she got there that was worrying her. Never in her life had she had to deal with a weight problem. And the timing couldn't be any worse. She had found true love with Niles, and his family had long since treated her like one of their own.

So why did she feel like crying at the drop of a hat?

"Daphne, I can see that something's troubling you. I know this is not easy, and I would do anything I can to help you feel at ease. Perhaps this might help you." With that, Gloria held out a framed photo.

Daphne looked closely. "Is that...was that you?"

Gloria smiled. "Yes, that was me. Ninety pounds ago. Seems hard to believe, doesn't it?"

"I don't know what to say...may I ask how you did it?"

"How I lost the weight? Yes, it took discipline and will-power, not to mention diet and exercise. But most importantly, I had to surround myself with positive people. Tell me, Daphne- do you feel like you get a lot of support in your life?"

Daphne paused. "I...I suppose," she sighed after a minute's hesitation.

Gloria nodded. "You paused."

"I don't know," Daphne sighed. "I mean on one hand, I know Niles-that's me boyfriend- I know he and his family care about me and only want what's best for me."

"But there's more, isn't there?"

"How did you know?"

Gloria just nodded again. "I've been there. Maybe they think they're helping, but the teasing, the name calling- and the worst part- the looks on their faces when they watch you eat a cookie."

Daphne felt a sense of relief she had never experienced before, not even with Niles. "Yes! That's it! I know they know I've put on weight, but they don't want to talk about it- not with me, anyhow. I'm sure they talk among themselves- I've overheard Niles' father and brother talking about it. But then I walk in the room, and it gets so quiet you can hear a pin drop. I know I've put on weight. But now that I'm at me heaviest, for some reason, I've never felt so...invisible. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Gloria agreed. "Trust me, I've been there. How does it make you feel when they treat you like that?"

"To tell you the truth, it makes me angry. That they can talk about me like I don't have feelings. That they don't respect me enough to talk to me, just behind me back. And Niles..."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yes! He might be the biggest problem of them all!" Daphne exclaimed, horrified at the thoughts that she couldn't help but verbalize.

"Is he unkind to you?"

"No! That's just it. He doesn't want to talk about it with me. He always tells me I look svelte, that I haven't changed a bit since he fell in love with me, that I always look perfect to him no matter what..."

"That's what most women would love to hear," Gloria spoke up.

"I know, and I don't want to sound ungrateful. But for some reason..." Now Daphne couldn't stop herself from crying. "For some reason, it seems as if he doesn't know me, the real me. Only the fantasy that he claims he fell in love with."

"I understand, Daphne. What you're saying- what most women I know say they need- is that they need to be loved for who they are, faults and all. There are so many expectations of how women should be, what they should say, what they should look like. We need sometimes just one person who sees us for who we really are and loves us anyways," Gloria added. "Does that make sense?"

Daphne nodded. "I don't want to hurt Niles...I know he loves me."

"I know. It sounds like he does love you, he just doesn't know how to love you. Does that make sense?"

"I...I think so."

"Right now," Gloria addressed Daphne. "Right now we need a champion, someone to believe in us no matter what. Someone who will love us without judgment, who will support us and not give up on us. During my weight loss, I was lucky to have found that person. Do you want to know who that person is?"

"Of course!"

"You're looking at her. I had to be my own best friend. I think that's what you need to do, Daphne. You can do this, I'm sure of that. But I would like more than anything for you to believe in yourself, no matter what. For you to be your own best friend. Does that sound like something you can do?"

Daphne looked around. This was all so much to take in.

Gloria noticed her hesitation. "I know it might be too much right now. Why don't you find something here that you can do for yourself. We have a hot tub, an exercise room, an arts and crafts room...do any of those sound appealing?"

"I guess a soak in the tub does sound nice," Daphne smiled through her tears.

"All right. I'll show you where it is, and when you're ready, we can pick up where we left off. Does that sound good to you?"

Daphne nodded. "Thank you...Gloria."

As Daphne gathered her swimsuit for her trip to the hot tub, she knew she had a long road ahead of her. But there was something about Gloria's advice- maybe it was because she'd been there herself- that gave her just a little bit of hope that maybe she could turn things around- before any more damage could be done within her relationships.

tbc


End file.
